THE GAME
Gardner-Webb hits the road for its first Division I FCS Playoff game on Saturday, traveling to face Eastern Kentucky in Roy Kidd Stadium. The game is set to kick at 5:00 pm and will air live on ESPN+ with Noah Reed and Marcus Ray calling the action. The game will also air live on WGNC Radio (1450 AM / 101.1 FM) with Dave Friedman and Reginald Walker, Jr., on the call.

HOT ROUTES
*     TJ Luther has more catches this season (57) than he had the first three seasons of his college football career combined (39). He is also the first GWU receiver in school history to top 1,000 yards with fewer than 70 receptions.

*    Eight teams on Gardner-Webb's 2022 schedule have at least seven wins this season. Three are currently ranked in their respective subdivision's top-25 (Coastal Carolina, Elon, Mercer) and two more (Liberty, Limestone) are receiving votes. Limestone qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs.

*    Gardner-Webb has seven games with 400+ yards offensively this season, joining the 2005 squad for the most in the program's Division I era (since 2000).

*    Bailey Fisher is tied for the most 300-yard passing games in Gardner-Webb's Division I era, joining Lucas Beatty as the only men with seven to their credit.

*    TJ Luther has nine games with 100+ receiving yards over two seasons at Gardner-Webb, leaving him one shy of tying Kenny Cook (2012-2014) and William Andrews (2000-2003) for the school mark in the Division I era.

*    Gardner-Webb head coach Tre Lamb (33, September 16, 1989) is the second youngest head coach in the FCS ranks currently, with only Austin Peay skipper Scotty Walden (33, November 15, 1989) slightly younger.

*    Gardner-Webb has claimed 73 percent of the Big South's Freshman of the Week nods this season, doing so eight times in 11 weeks. Jayden Brown has been chosen twice.

*    Gardner-Webb won outright Big South Conference championships in both 2002, 2003 and 2022. Gardner-Webb is the only team remaining in the Big South with multiple outright  league titles. GWU went undefeated in each of those three championship seasons.

SERIES NOTES
Gardner-Webb and Eastern Kentucky will meet for the first time in football ... The Runnin' Bulldogs are 6-4-0 in their history against teams from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, going 5-3 vs. Georgetown during the team's early NAIA days and splitting a pair of games with Western Kentucky in 1986 and 1987.

WHAT A SCHEDULE
Each of Gardner-Webb's non-conference opponents have been lights out in 2022. Liberty, Coastal Carolina and Marshall are bowl eligible. Limestone (8-3) recently competed in the NCAA Division II playoffs and both Elon (8-3) and Mercer (7-3) are nationally-ranked, with Elon earning an at-large spot in the FCS playoffs this week. The overall schedule rates 13th nationally by NCAA.com, tied with UC Davis.

THE MAYOR
Running back Narii Gaither (5-10, 181, Sr.) now has 2,164 yards rushing for his career, moving the Rock Hill, S.C., native into seventh on the school's all-time rushing list, passing former All-Big South back Kenny Little (2,142 yards). Gaither is third on the school's all-time Division I career rushing list, trailing only Tyrell Maxwell and Juanne Blount. Darrell Middleton (3,877 yards) is the school's all-time leading rusher after a Hall of Fame career from 1986-1989.

BIG MOMENT
Gardner-Webb is making its first venture into the FCS Playoffs after becoming eligible for Division I postseason play in 2002. GWU won the Big South in both 2002 and 2003, but the league did not have an automatic bid until 2010. The Runnin' Bulldogs last made a playoff appearance 30 years ago, advancing all the way to the 1992 NAIA Championship Bowl before a narrow loss to Central State (Ohio). GWU is the seventh different Big South program to quality for the FCS Playoffs.

AGAINST THE FIELD
Gardner-Webb faced just one team in the 2022 FCS Playoff field, falling 30-24 at Elon on September 17. The Runnin' Bulldogs fell behind early before a ferocious second quarter resulted in a 24-20 lead at halftime. GWU stayed competitive until the final possession despite playing without first-team All-Big South back Narii Gaither. Elon went on to an 8-3 mark to earn an at-large berth in the field. The #12 Phoenix play at #11 Furman in the first round.

THE HEAD COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Tre Lamb is the second-youngest skipper in Division I football at age 33. He is 12-14 in his brief tenure, with five of those losses coming to 85-scholarship FBS programs. Walt Wells is 16-13 in his third season in charge of the Colonels.

HOIST THE HOG
Gardner-Webb captured the second annual NC Pork East/West BBQ Bowl vs. Campbell on November 12 in Buies Creek. The Runnin' Bulldogs defeated the Camels, 42-35, to bring home the well-built, hefty trophy -- topped with a decorative hog and adorned with a placard to engrave each year's winning team and score -- and will enjoy a feast of barbeque supplied by the Camels as part of the arrangement. The rivalry game is tied at 1-1, as Campbell won the inaugural BBQ Bowl in 2021, and will be on hiatus until the teams can re-schedule the series in future nonconference seasons.

CATCH THIS
Receiver TJ Luther (6-1, 180, R-Sr.) has been among the best in the nation this season, catching 57 passes for 1,072 yards and seven touchdowns through 11 games. The Arcadia, Fla., native ranks No. 6 nationally in receiving yards, No. 7 nationally in receiving yards per game and No. 17 nationally in yards per catch – leading the Big South in all three categories. Luther now has 119 career catches for 2,334 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns in 45 games played. He has 3,361 career all-purpose yards. Luther is also the first Gardner-Webb receiver to post seven different 100-yard receiving games in a season since the 'Dogs moved ot Division I in 2000. He is the first 1,000-yard receiver for Gardner-Webb since 2019 and only the third since the move to Division I in 2000.

CATCH THAT
Receiver Cutrell Haywood (6-0, 217, Gr.) has been consistently strong as well, hauling in a career-high 70 passes for 714 yards and seven scores. Haywood has 215 catches for 2,110 yards and 21 touchdowns in 42 career games. Haywood has now gone over 50 catches three times in his career.

ROAD TRIP
Gardner-Webb endured the longest road swing in program history during the month of October, playing four in a row away from Spangler Stadium from October 1-October 22. GWU went 2-2 during that stretch, with the losses coming at FBS Marshall and current #19 FBS Liberty. Gardner-Webb's two road conference wins at Robert Morris (Oct. 8) and Charleston Southern (Oct. 22) mark the first time since 2009 that GWU has picked up multiple Big South wins away from home in the same season.

THIRD DOWN PATROL
Gardner-Webb has been among the nation's best on third down, ranking No. 3 nationally by allowing a 29.3 percent conversion rate.  GWU has been aided by a strong pass rush, with the team ranking No. 6 nationally in sacks this season. Gardner-Webb got to the Campbell quarterback four times in its BBQ Bowl victory. Teams are converting an average of just 3.6 third downs per game against GWU this season.

POSTSEASON AVALANCHE
Gardner-Webb secured 14 spots on the All-Big South team on November 21, tops in the league, and swept the league's major postseason awards – with Bailey Fisher (Offense), Ty French (Defense) and Tre Lamb (Coach) taking those trophies. Ty Anderson was named Big South Defensive Freshman of the Year and William McRainey was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Fisher was joined on the first-team offense by Narii Gaither, TJ Luther, Cutrell Haywood, Gabe Thompson and Clayton Frady. French was joined on the first-team defense by McRainey, Jamari Brown and Raequan Ousley.Tackle Janathian Turner was named second-team All-Big South and safety AJ Thomas joined him on defense.

A FACT
Janathian Turner (6-3, 306, R-Sr.) was the only defensive tackle among the eight linemen chosen to the All-Big South defensive first or second team on Monday. Each of the other seven choices played end in 2022. Turner has been an anchor for the 'Dogs this season, recording 45 total tackles despite consistent double teams.

BONJOUR
Gardner-Webb defensive stalwart Ty French (6-3, 230, Jr.) tied the Big South single-season sack record with his 11.0 quarterback takedowns during the regular season. He matched the mark first set by Kennesaw State's Bryson Armstrong in 2017, and is just the third Big South player to record a double-digit QB sack total in a season. French is just one sack shy of tying the Gardner-Webb single-season mark, which was set by Chris Mintz in 1999. French has 23.5 career sacks, which leaves him 1.5 sacks shy of the Big South mark. Chima Uzowihe (Liberty) recorded 25.0 sacks from 2012-2015. French ranks third in league history, just behind Anthony Ellis of Charleston Southern (24.0). Former Green Bay Packer and Gardner-Webb Hall of Famer Gabe Wilkins holds the school's career mark – taking down 29.0 quarterbacks from 1990-1993.

THE QUARTERBACK
Gardner-Webb's Bailey Fisher (5-11, 207, R-Sr.) tied the Big South record with three consecutive games with 350+ yards of total offense from October 22-November 12. Fisher amassed 452, 384 and 414 total offensive yards during his streak, and in the process increased his career games with 400+ total yards of offense to four, which tied Coastal Carolina's Alex Ross for the most in league history. He is the only quarterback in GWU's Division I era to post a pair of 400-yard passing games in the same season.

CORNERING THE MARKET
Gardner-Webb has dominated the Big South's Freshman of the Week award in 2022, posting eight winners in 11 weeks of play. Janiero Crankfield took the honor after the opener, followed by Jay Billingsley (Week 2), Ty Anderson (Week 5), Jayden Brown (Week 6, Week 8, Week 11), Jonathan Burns (Week 9) and Caleb Borders (Week 10).

BEHIND THE LINE
Gardner-Webb leads the Big South and ranks No. 6 nationally in total sacks as a team, posting 36 on the season. GWU has posted 22 of those in the past six games, including five at FBS Liberty. The 'Dogs have 68 tackles for loss in 2022, led by Ty French (13.5), Brendan Jackson (8.0) and Janathian Turner (8.0).

WHEN THE MAYOR IS IN THE OFFICE
Gardner-Webb has played just seven games this season with All-America running back Narii Gaither at full speed, going 6-1 in those contests. GWU is averaging 40.0 points and 509.6 yards of total offense per game over those seven contests, with the only loss coming in a 21-20 nailbiter at FBS Liberty (8-3). Gaither himself is averaging 94.1 rushing yards per game on those seven dates with five touchdowns. He has five 100-yard games in those seven outings.

BEST IN STATE
Three current players on Gardner-Webb's roster were State Players of the Year as seniors. Quarterback Bailey Fisher (Rabun County HS, Ga.) earned Class 2A Offensive State Player of the Year honors in 2017. Defensive back Jamari Brown (Eastside HS, Ga.) was named Class 4A Defensive State Player of the Year in 2018. Running back Donovan Jones (Champagnat Catholic, Fla.) was the Class 2A Offensive State Player of the Year in 2020

THIS IS COOL
Gardner-Webb had a passer go for 300+, a rusher go for 100+ and a receiver go for 100+ in the same game for just the fourth time in its 42-35 win at Campbell on November 12. It was only the second time that the Runnin' Bulldogs won a game when accomplishing that feat, joining a November 11, 2000 win over No. 23 New Hampshire on the road.

A LONG TIME COMING 
Gardner-Webb last secured the Big South's three major postseason awards in the same season in 2002, when Jeremy Martin (Offensive Player of the Year), Mario Williams (Defensive Player of the Year) and Steve Patton (Coach of the Year) were honored. 

A STREAK
Gardner-Webb's current four-game win streak is the first time the program has posted three in a row over Division I opponents since since 2002, when the 'Dogs closed the season with eight wins in a row over Division I foes to finish at 9-1 and ranked No. 18 nationally.

THE GREAT NATE
Janathian Turner (6-3, 306, R-Sr.) has enjoyed a strong 2022 so far, posting 7.0 tackles for loss on the season to go with 41 total hits. He recorded at least a half TFL in each of Gardner-Webb's first five games this season. 

NEARLY DID IT AGAIN
Gardner-Webb narrowly missed its second-ever FBS victory on September 10, as the Runnin' Bulldogs fell to former Big South power Coastal Carolina, 31-27. GWU rallied back from a 24-10 deficit to take a 27-24 lead at 10:33 in the fourth quarter. In Week 7, the Runnin' Bulldogs suffered a one-point defeat at former Big South rival Liberty, 21-20. GWU held a 20-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. Gardner-Webb's lone win against an FBS squad came at Akron on September 11, 2010 (38-37). GWU nearly stunned Georgia Tech on October 11, 2008, falling 10-7 in Atlanta and lost a five-point game at Georgia Southern in the 2021 season opener.

TACKLING MACHINE
Gardner-Webb linebacker William McRainey (6-0, 217, Jr.) leads the team and ranks among the Big South's best with 92 tackles this season. The Shallotte, N.C., native has 216 career tackles through 25 starts and is a three-time All-Big South selection. McRainey is also an Academic All-America candidate again in 2022 and is a two-time Academic All-District choice with a 3.59 cumulative GPA in Economics and Finance.

ROAD WARRIORS
Gardner-Webb will play its eight road game of the 2022 season on Saturday, the most in the program's history for a single season. GWU led the Big South with three road wins this regular season. The game at Eastern Kentucky marks Gardner-Webb's first road playoff game since a 27-24 loss on December 5, 1987 at Carson-Newman in the NAIA Playoffs.

THIS IS 40
Gardner-Webb averaged 40.8 points per game in Big South play this season, topping the 40-point mark three times in five games. The last time GWU averaged 40+ points in league action was 2002 (42.0 points) over three games.